escalation tender_square as she walked the treadmill in the hotel’s fitness room, she watched trash television about privileged americans riding around on a chartered yacht in norway. her husband entered the room, and stared at her with the exhausted eyes of a much older man. she peeled off her headphones. “i was looking for you! i went to the front desk and asked if they’d seen you and i was about to call the cops!” he was wearing his jacket and holding his cell phone. “i’ve been here,” she said. “i had my phone with me.” she motioned toward the treadmill tray. “i called you!” she picked up the phone and saw the missed notification. “sorry, i didn’t see it.” “i even went outside looking to see if the car was still here.” “i came in here to walk; i had been up for an hour and a half. i thought you heard me when i left.” it was 4:50 in the morning when she left their hotel room. “i didn’t!” “okay, well i’m going to be here for a while. why don’t you go back to sleep,” she suggested. after her walk, she went into the lobby for breakfast, not wanting to return to the room in case she woke him. knowing how he was, he wouldn’t go back to sleep and then would likely blame her for how tired he was. as she walked back to their room nearly two hours after leaving, he was on his way out to get food. “did you go back to sleep?” she asked as he held the door for her. he shook his head. when he returned with his plate, she put away the sofa bed she had arranged when his snoring was too loud. “why were you going to call the cops?” she prodded. it seemed melodramatic. “i didn’t know where you were; you’ve never done something like this before.” “but my purse was here, my jacket was here. where did you think i went?” “i don’t know; you just weren’t here. i’m glad i looked there and found you.” she was reminded of her therapist calling her spouse a boy; she realized when he entered the gym, he looked like a desperate child who had lost his mom in a department store. on some unconscious level, he must’ve understood how difficult it was for her to stay with him if he thought that it was feasible that she’d up and leave him, taking their car, in a city she’d never been to before at five o’clock in the morning. 221116 what's it to you? who go blather from